


The Sad-Nest

by flamingburningfandomtrash



Category: Undertale
Genre: Angst, Cute, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Inspired by a Steven universe comic I saw on tumblr, Reader is Frisk (Undertale), Sad Nest, Sans Loves Space, Sans is depressed, Sleepy Cuddles, Tooth Rotting Fluff, frickin cuddles dude, humans are still jerks, sans is a science nerd
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-14
Updated: 2019-09-14
Packaged: 2020-10-18 09:31:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20636942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flamingburningfandomtrash/pseuds/flamingburningfandomtrash
Summary: Sans has seemed so down lately. He's locked the door to his room, even. What to do?Inspired by a Steven Universe comic I saw on Tumblr- but you'd know that if you read the tags. I'm not in the fandom, but I still loved the idea of a Sad-Nest.And my mind consistently goes back to Undertale, so here we are.





	The Sad-Nest

**Author's Note:**

  * For [echoflowertea](https://archiveofourown.org/users/echoflowertea/gifts).

> Also inspired by echoflowertea, who inspired me to write fanfics in the first place, and has more awesome work than I have songs on my endless playlist.

It’s been a few years since you helped free monsters from their deep Underground prison. Most monsters were accepted with open arms, but your best friends were deemed “too dangerous” to live permanently on the surface- Papyrus and Sans. The last skeleton monsters. They can visit, sure, but never will they get to enjoy a surface home, never get to fall asleep to an open sky. It was disappointing, but Papyrus was positive, as per usual-

“I AM HAPPY THAT WE WILL NOT HAVE TO LEAVE OUR HOUSE. IT WAS MEANT OT BE OURS, ANYWAY. I KNOW IT. LEAVING IT WOULD MEAN…LEAVING HOME! WE CAN VISIT. IT WILL BE FINE.”

Sans was less enthusiastic, but he put on his normal grinning poker face and moved on. You decided that you’d stay with them, just to be fair. Not to mention that they’re probably your best friends in the world- Papyrus almost feels like your dad sometimes, or what a dad should have been.

Asriel said it best- you never ran away from home for a very happy reason. 

But Sans? Sans was like a best, best friend. He talked to you when he couldn’t talk to Papyrus about nightmares. He trusts you, especially after you told him during the genocide resets some…demon-thing took you over. You hadn’t wanted to hurt him, hadn’t wanted to hurt Papyrus. He got really defensive once when some drunk guys tried to mess with you on the surface. You even sleep in his room now, since you’d outgrown the couch. They’d set up an air mattress and everything.  
You told him that he needs to kill you if the demon ever hits, and you told him your favorite songs. Though Papyrus isn’t exactly a heavy cusser, you enjoy dropping some f-bombs every now and then- so you do it with Sans. You know he has some depression issues, but when he refused to go to a therapist, you decided to learn some stuff yourself. Alphys even calls you sometimes for it. 

But today is definitely an all-time low for him. He didn’t get up, not even for lunch- not even when you offered to watch NASA documentaries. When you left the room, the doorknob shone blue and clicked locked. You know he’s either going to hurt himself or cry at this rate, and you’ve taken to sitting outside in the hallway in case he needs you. Papyrus is up visiting Undyne, but he told you specifically to try to cheer up his brother. Frankly, you’re lost- you don’t know how he does it in the first place, and whatever internet training you have doesn’t cover stuff this bad. You just wish he wasn’t shutting you out.

Suddenly, the door opens and gives way- you fall backwards, head slamming the floor in between his pink-slippered feet. 

“Ow! Oh, um, heh, hi. Y-you’re out. That’s good. Are you okay?”  
“fine… you good?”  
“Fine- ow. I might have a bruise, but I should be fine. You want anything to eat? I can make hotcats. Ow, geez.”

You rub the back of your head with a hand and sit up.

“I’m okay, really.”  
“nah, just wondering why you were sitting creepily outside my room.”  
“O-oh. Heh. I was just- um. I needed something?”

It sounds like a question, and you’re blushing furiously. He raises his bone-brows and shrugs, then steps over you.

“go on in, then. sorry i took so long.”  
“Heh… it’s okay!” 

He steps down the stairs, and you’re left jamming the heel of your hand into your temple, feeling like a complete idiot. Great. That went just GREAT. He didn’t even make a pun! At least something dumb like how you fell for him, or even some quip about you being a stalker to diffuse the tension. But no. Nothing.  
And it’s not like you helped the situation either. You could’ve asked what he was doing, could’ve insisted you help him, asked if he wanted to talk.  
You lean over a little to look down off the balcony, confirming Sans is in the kitchen- you can hear him shuffling around, grabbing ketchup. 

After a quiet sigh of self-annoyance, you stand and walk into the bedroom. It looks like always, one side with his mattress and ball of sheets. Yours with the bed made, however poorly, books lining the shelf they’d bought you. It was Papyrus’ idea, after a stack of thick science books fell on your foot and broke your toe. Man, that had hurt. Good thing skeletons have healing abilities.  
The self-sustaining trash tornado whirs quietly in the corner- you’d taken all of the trash out and replaced it with buttercups, so it glows gently and the smell of flowers wafts over the room. You check the mattress for any clues as to what he’s been doing- one part is glowing a soft blue color, and when you touch it, it’s wet. He’s definitely been crying, then. Fantastic. 

“What do I do?” you ask the room quietly, and sink onto your bed. You remember reading that room-clean-ups help depressed people, but Sans was never one for Papyrus-like tidiness. Chocolate? No, he’d never liked the stuff. He’s had enough sleep, and he’s busy making food, too, so those options are at least taken care of.  
An idea falls out of nowhere and hits you in the head. You look around the room. Would it even work? And if it did, how would he react?

Well. It’s worth a shot. Time to get busy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~one 80’s style training montage later~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Hey, Sans! Can you come up here a second? I made you something!”  
“ok. gimme a sec.”

You lean over the balcony, grinning broadly. It had taken a trip to Grillby’s, all of the pillows you could find, and even a short rummage in Waterfall, but everything seems to be set up properly. He climbs up the stairs, half-grinning at your face, but he otherwise seems to still be in sad-mode. 

“what’s up? you know, besides the ceiling.”  
“Come in here- it’s for you!”

You open the door to his room and hold your arms out “ta-da” style. Inside, it’s dark- the lamps are off, and the curtains are shut, the way he always does it. You put all the blankets and pillows in a little cocoon on his mattress. On one side of it are a (short) stack of science-y books, a cardboard box of Grillby’s specialty ketchups, and three NASA documentaries ready to be popped into Paps’ computer, which you set up in front of the bed in case he wants to watch one. The only light comes from some glow-in-the-dark star stickers you put all over the ceiling- an awesome find from Waterfall.  
He sees and asks-

“w-what is this?”  
“I call it a Sad Nest! You can come here and be sad- it has everything, ketchup, blankets, movies, books, it’s even really dark like you always like it!”  
“…you made this for me?”  
“Yeah! Um. Do you like it? If you don’t want to use it that’s okay, I just thought you might like it,” you look down a little, but you’re still smiling. He turns to you, grinning.

“you kidding? this is awesome- is that Grillby’s stuff?!”  
“Yeah, he just made it today!”  
“he could never say no to you, huh? woah…where’d you get the stars? you set ‘em up like real ones…that’s so cool,” he walks into the center of the room so he can look around. The fact that he even knows it’s set up realistically makes you grin.  
“Waterfall. I found a baggie of ‘em. I kinda hoped it would make you feel better- but it’s okay to be sad, too. Just enjoy it.”

He looks down from the stars and back at you, smiling softer.

“thanks. really…this rocks.”  
“You’re welcome! Um, I guess I’ll leave you to it, then,” you wave and turn to leave, but he grabs the sleeve of your sweater.

“hold up. you’re leaving?”  
“Oh…um, I guess I assumed you’d want to be alone.”  
“well, you know what they say about making assumptions.”

It takes you a second, but you catch the joke and laugh out loud. 

“You really want me to stay?” you ask, tentatively.  
“i mean, yeah. not if you don’t want to, but i’d rather not be alone.”  
“Well,” you smile, “I already came this far. I’m not drawing the line at enjoying it. Where do you wanna start? I found a NASA thingie about black holes- we can play it if you want.”  
“sure,” he says, so you bend down and crack open the CD case.

You pop it in, and then stand hesitantly next to the mattress- the blanket nest was kind of a one-person deal. Will he feel uncomfortable getting so close? Well, apparently not, because he grabs you and pulls you in after him. He snags one of the ketchups from the box and squirts it in his mouth, then settles in. You’re wedged in an awkward position, one leg on top of his, arms pulled into your chest, elbows up. He chuckles and shifts a little so you can move. In the end, you end up leaning against him, hands on your lap. Your legs stick out at weird angles at first, but once they settle into the pillows it’s a lot more comfortable. He has both hands behind his head, legs crossed, looking comfy as ever.  
You smile at his contented expression- like there wasn’t anything more in the world he could possibly want. A few documentaries and empty ketchup bottles later, he’s definitely improved.

“So, um, do you want to talk about earlier, or no?” you ask because you know; if it’s bothering him, the only way he’ll calm down is if he talks it through.  
“i dunno. i just have days like that every now and then, i guess. where i don’t feel good. sometimes… sometimes i think it’ll all reset…and i’ll just wake up. start all over again,” he flinches, and you put a hand on his arm.  
“You DO know I’d rather die than reset on you, right? No more resets, not ever. I-” you stop for a split second before saying the word- “I promise.”  
“. . .that means a lot. . .heh. . .you have no idea,” he presses the heels of his hands into his eye sockets and laughs shakily. 

It only takes a moment’s hesitation before you shift enough to hug him. It surprises him a little at first, you can feel it in how he tenses up. You whisper firmly-

“I. Won’t. Hurt. You. Or Paps. Or Tori, or Asgore, or Undyne, or Alphys, or any of them. I- I just won’t. You guys are my family now…I didn’t mean to, back then. I’m sorry…” your voice drifts off when you can’t think of anything else to say. He hugs you back.

“don’t be.”

You look up, and he’s smiling softly- your apology is in your eyes, and he sees it. And he forgives you. You know it. 

“Looks like we both need the Sad Nest now, huh?” you quip, before leaning back into the pillows.  
“nah. i feel better. i’m here for YOU now. what do you wanna do?” he asks, not pulling away.  
“This is fine, right here.”  
“ok, then.”

He has the slightest blue blush on his cheekbones, but you don’t acknowledge it. Instead you just sit in the hug, comfortable, but wide awake, warm, but in a good way. His arms are around you, making you feel safe- you get the feeling if you were to be attacked right now, he’d probably block every punch himself rather than let you take it. It feels really nice. Your face is half-buried in his hoodie, which is warm and soft and inviting.  
After a while, he stutters a little, trying to get out a sentence. You glance up, slightly amused.

“uh, i mean- what i’m trying to say is-”  
“C’mon, what’s up? You can tell me.”  
“heh. um. i really like this…do you you want to do it every once in a while? the whole “Sad Nest” thing?”  
“As often as you want. I like it, too. Feels nice, doesn’t it?”  
“yeah- it does.”

You sigh happily and smile. A real one.

“Thank you, Sans.”  
“for what?”  
“I dunno. Existing. Being you. Not giving up. Everything.” You shrug and lean in a little closer.  
“heh. welcome. and thank you, too.” he adds.  
“For what?”  
“bein’ here. even after i shut you out.”

You look up, tilting your chin up just enough to see his face fully. He looks down at you and blushes harder. Your soft smile spreads a little.

“What?”  
“god, you’re just- awesome.”  
“Heh. Thank you… you are, too, though. Like, could tell me any cool nerd fact right now, and it would be the most awesome thing ever.”

His face lights up at the opportunity-

“ok- did you know that when you look at stars, real ones, you’re actually looking back in time? the light of stars takes lightyears to reach Earth, so by the time it reaches us, it’s old. we wouldn’t know if a star exploded until the light of the explosion reached us, which takes millions of years-” his eyelights are glittering like little stars, he looks so excited- when suddenly, mid-sentence, you lean in and kiss him on his nasal bone, short and deliberate.  
His face lights up and his eyelights go all tiny and flustered- you pull away. Damn it! That was so stupid! Ugh, he was even all happy and you had to go screw it up, god! After his initial shock, he places a hand right over his sternum and takes a deep breath. It sounds like he’s been underwater for a really long time, and this is the first breath he’s taken in years. You don’t know it, but that’s how it FEELS for him, too. A goofy grin spreads over his face as he looks at you.

“you…really?”  
“Sorry, sorry, that was stupid, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t’ve-” he holds up a hand and stops you, then cups your head in his hand.  
"hey. you're ok. i... i didn't know you- er-felt that way."  
"I. Um. I didn't really know either."  
"heh. ok," he smiles wide, a real, happy one, and you smile back.

He pulls you in gently and presses his teeth to your forehead. They feel warm, even soft. Like he’s melting right onto you. It makes you giggle, and he shrugs good-naturedly.

“best i can do. sorry.”  
“No, that was cute. I liked it.”  
“so…this is new, huh?” he asks, hand moving from your cheek to your neck.  
“I like it,” you admit.  
“i like it, too.”  
“I really like you, if that’s okay.”  
“yeah. yeah, it’s okay.”

He pulls you into another kiss, this time on your lips- though you expect his teeth to be smooth or cold against them, they feel like they fit, somehow. You pull him into another, and another, and soon it’s all little kisses and giggles on your end and grins and chuckles on his. He has one hand pressed to the nape of your neck, the other pressed into your back, holding you closer, trying in vain to figure out whether or not this is some half-baked dream. It isn’t intense or anything- it just feels right. The steady thrum of his soul against yours makes you have a crazy desire to fall asleep. It’s so rhythmic and easy, but just as you feel yourself slipping off- Papyrus is opening the front door and shouting up the stairs-

“I AM HOME! I HAVE BROUGHT THINGS FOR DINNER! IT WILL BE READY IN AN HOUR!”

You jump, but only a little- it’s just the surprising intensity of his voice. You were getting used to Sans’ quiet baritone over the past few hours. He doesn’t jump, but rather almost seems disappointed that this is ending. You smile, kind of embarrassed-

“You wanna continue this later? Sad-Nest turned Cuddle-Nest part two?” you ask, yawning and stretching.  
“has a nice ring to it. hey, um, stupid question,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck with a hand. “so, i don’t honestly know much about all the dating stuff, but it doesn’t always have to be, um, going, right? it can just be normal and we can still read science journals and geek out, right?”

You grin-

“Of course, I still want to do all that stuff with you! Even if we, er, go farther- I still want to be friends. This shouldn’t change that.”  
“sweet. c’mon, let’s go help Paps before he freaks out on us.”

You laugh and follow him down the stairs- he flops face-first on the couch the moment he gets down, but you continue to the kitchen and help Papyrus make garlic bread. (“THE STORE SAID I HAD BOUGHT ALL OF THEIR PASTA, SO I WENT FOR THE SECOND BEST THING.”) You can’t complain- this stuff is good. 

Later that night, there are a few more NASA documentaries. A few more kisses. But you’re happy to fall asleep on the old mattress on the floor, surrounded by blankets, hugging Sans so tight he can’t move his arms.

Time for a new start, they’d said.  
Time to start over.  
Go to the open mountain covered in buttercups.  
Start over there.  
Well.  
It hadn’t gone like you’d expected it to.

  
There were ups and downs to your time here.  


But you have to admit- this is the start you really wanted. This is what feels right.

Fin


End file.
